Handle for handle-bars of bicycles



v (No Model.)

. J. G. HODGSON.

HANDLE FOR HANDLE BARS 0F BIGYGLES.

Patented Apr. 27; 1897.

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UNITED STATES FATENT @FFICE.

JOHN G. HODGSON, OF MAYWOQD, ILLINOIS..

HANDLE FOR HANDLE-BARS OF BICYCLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 581,287, dated April2'7, 1897.

Application filed July 16, 1896. Serial No. 599,373. (No model.)

To wZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN G. HODGSON, a citizen of the United States,residing in Maywood, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Handles for the Handle-Bars ofBicycles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the construction of handles forthe handlebars of bicycles.

The object of my invention is to provide a handle of a simple and cheapconstruction which, while being strong, stiff, firm, and rigid, asrequired for safety and security to the rider in steering his wheel andbalancing himself thereon, will at the same time be sufficiently elasticand yielding at its upper part to prevent the disagreeable jarring andsometimes bruising of the palms of the hands of the rider, especiallywhen the rider rests considerable of his weight upon the handle-bars andwhen the roads are rough.

To this end my invention consists of a bicycle-handle of any customaryor suitable shape, the lower portion or segment whereof being strong,firm, stiff, and rigid and being made of any suitable material, such asmetal or a combination of metal and wood, cork,

celluloid, or other material, and the upper portion or segment whereof,or the part thereof upon which the palms of the hands especially rest,is made yielding and elastic to prevent jar or shock to or bruising ofthe palms of the hands. The upper segment of the handle may be madeyielding or elastic in any suit-- able manner or by any suitable means,but I prefer, however, to do this by providing the lower or stiff andrigid part of the handle with a socket to receive a pad .of yieldingmaterial, forming the upper or yielding and elastic part of the handle.As in practice the palm of the hand rests almost entirely upon the outerhalf of the handle, I prefer to make only the outer half of the uppersegment of the handle yielding and elastic.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, andin which similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all of thefigures, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bicycle-handle-bar handleembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view, and Fig. 3 is a centralvertical longitudinal section.

In the drawings, A represents the handlebar; 13, the shell or metalportion of the haudle, which is provided with the customary socket b toreceive the end of the handle-bar A.

0 represents the stilf or rigid filling material, such as wood,celluloid, cork, or hard rubber or like material, to fill out the metalshell to the required shape. As illustrated in the drawings, thisfilling 0 extends at the lower portion of the handle only about half itslength, the remainder of the stiff and rigid part of the handle beingformed by the metal shell B, which is here enlarged or brought out tothe exterior shape of the handle at the outer half or portion of thehandle, as is clearly indicated in Figs. 1 and 3.

portion of the handle, the same being preferably formed of any suitablematerial, such, for example, as hair, sponge, spongy rubber, or otheryielding or elastic material, the same being preferably inclosed in aflexible sheath d, of leather, rubber, or fabric. This yielding orelastic upper part of the handle extends, as before stated, preferablyonly about half the length of the handle and at the outer part thereof,as indicated in the drawings.

By enlarging the metal shell B of the handle at the outer end of thehandle the socket or space to receive the yielding or elastic pad orpacking is made greater to give more room for an adequate amount of thepacking of yielding material, so as to properly cushion the hand and atthe same time form a socket for holding the packing properly in place.This is a convenience in construction.

As the lower part of the handle is stiff and rigid, the yielding of theupper part does not interfere in any way with the efficiency of thehandles in steering or operating the bicycle, while it effectuallyprevents jars and shocks to the hands. To secure the hard or stifffilling 0, of wood, cork, or other material, in place, the metal shell Bis provided with a extending around the handle at the inner half orportion thereof, and an elastic or yielding 15 part D at the upper andouter portion of the handle, such metal shell B, being enlarged at thelower and outer part of the handle to form a socket or receptacle toreceive the yielding or elastic outer upper portion of the handle, 20

substantially as specified.

JOHN G. HODGSON.

lVitnesses:

S. E. CURTIS, H. M. MUNDAY.

